St. Thomas University

President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. M. Nauman Farooqi; Vice-President (Advancement) Tom Meadus; and Vice-President (Student Experience) Ryan Sullivan were pleased to join the team at Cooke Inc. last week for a tour of their facilities!

Sustainability and Environmental Studies STUdent Kamylle Bonenfant was selected to attend the Earth Charter Youth Summit at Soka University of America in California, where she shared her research with sustainability leaders from around the world.

“I returned with new connections, new perspectives, and a much stronger sense that the work I am doing is connected to something far greater than myself,” she said.

The three-day summit brought together more than 100 young leaders from 30 countries for more than 60 presentations and workshops that focused on sustainability, collaboration, and ethical leadership.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4wyTW3C

Congratulations to Dr. Matt Dinan, Director of Great Books, whose work was published in the New York Times today as a guest essay.

In his essay, "To Save Higher Ed, Professors Need to Get a Little Weird," Dinan outlines how important it is for professors to remain good, passionate learners themselves to effectively engage their students, particularly in today's algorithmic age.

"Well, it really helps that you're so into it," he attributes to his students at STU.

The St. Thomas University Sustainability Learning Lab is launching an on-campus food forest that will provide students with access to fresh food and opportunities to put their learning into action.

STUdents will be involved with the planning and planting of the food forest through the SEST 3133: Building Regenerative Food Systems course taught by Sustainability and Environmental Studies professor Dr. Andrew Mathis this fall.

“Food forests offer an exciting synergy between caring for ourselves, our community, our local biodiversity, and overall planetary health, even if in a small way. There is a lot that plant communities can teach us about how to live regeneratively in our human communities,” said Dr. Mathis.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4xCV4Ey

STUdent Emily Lynch and recent graduate Jacob Sparks competed in the global Map the System competition at Oxford University this summer— a learning experience that shifted their mindsets and broadened their perspectives.

“Learning from so many different people from around the world and their diverse experiences has shaped new pathways of learning that I can bring to my studies at STU,” said Lynch.

48 universities from around the world competed in the global in-person competition, which asked students and educators to rethink social and environmental issues through systems thinking— going beyond disciplines and questioning deeply held assumptions.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4bIQ9cF

Shawn Graham, BEd’93, and David M. Lutz, BEd’74, are being recognized for their commitment to community leadership and public service with St. Thomas University’s Carolyn Layden-Stevenson Distinguished Alumni Award.

Graham, former Premier of New Brunswick, and Lutz, a distinguished lawyer and bâtonnier, will be presented with the award at the STU Gala on Saturday, October 17 in Fredericton and we invite the community to join us for this special event.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4bIf6VH

After completing STU's Bachelor of Education, Brent Walker is ready to begin his teaching career in New Brunswick.

"The faculty members are all experienced educators who care about building leaders and developing everyone to be the best version of themselves," he said.

"I would encourage future students to consider how their own unique backgrounds and life experiences could be a strength in education. You might be surprised by the impact you could have in a student's journey."

Read more about Brent's experience: https://bit.ly/4gg9XGR

Meet the 2025 Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation Scholarship Recipients

Maisie Briggs, of Moncton, NB, Jenna Taylor, of Durham Bridge, NB, and Bryan Gagnon, of Saint John, NB, were the 2025 recipients of the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation Scholarship, which covers their full tuition and is renewable over four years.

“Education is an investment, and this scholarship helped me invest in my future and my aspirations,” Briggs said.

This entrance scholarship at STU is generously funded by the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation and Irving Oil in honour of former St. Thomas University President Dawn Russell and in memory of Arthur Irving, who passed away in May of 2024.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4pTeouq

Inara Yousufi has been awarded this year's Larry Collins Prize for the best undergraduate Political Science essay written by a student attending university in Atlantic Canada.

"It is incredibly meaningful to have my work recognized by scholars and political scientists from across Atlantic Canada," she said.

"It has encouraged me to continue pursuing research that contributes to informed and respectful discussions on important global issues."

Congratulations, Inara! 👏💚💛

Read more: https://bit.ly/45KqL2B